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K.H. Lee Can Accomplish Something Not Seen on the PGA Tour in 90 Years With a Win at the Byron Nelson

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Luke Norris
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Luke Norris Sports Editor

Luke Norris began his sportswriting career in 2013 and joined Sports7 in 2020. The former Section Editor of the NFL and Motorsports sections, he now spends his time here in the role of Senior Writer-Programmer. His well-rounded sports knowledge allows him to cover the NFL, NBA, PGA Tour, MLB, boxing, WWE, and NASCAR for Sports7. Luke is an avid golfer who finds inspiration in the way sports can bring people together and provide a distraction from the real world. He hopes to provide a little entertainment or an escape from the real world with every article he writes, even if only for a few minutes. In addition to his work here at Sports7, Luke's work has appeared on  The Sportster, Inquisitr, GiveMeSport, FanSided, Yahoo! Fox Sports, and Sports Illustrated.

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Updated10 May 2023

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K.H. Lee ahead of the 2023 AT&T Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch

While Scottie Scheffler may be the betting favorite at this week's AT&T Byron Nelson — one of the luxuries of being the No. 2 player in the world — it's certainly tough to pick against K.H. Lee.

After all, the 31-year-old South Korean is the two-time defending champion at TPC Craig Ranch, which took over hosting duties in 2021. And if Lee can manage to win the Byron Nelson for a third straight year, he'll make some PGA history not seen since before World War II.

K.H. Lee has dominated the Byron Nelson the past two years and can make PGA Tour history with a third straight win

K.H. Lee ahead of the 2023 AT&T Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch
K.H. Lee hits a tee shot on the ninth hole prior to the AT&T Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch on May 10, 2023 | Tim Heitman/Getty Images

Simply put, K.H. Lee has dominated the Byron Nelson since the tournament moved to Tom Weiskopf's par-72 layout at TPC Craig Ranch in suburban Dallas.

In 2021, Lee notched the first PGA Tour victory of his career at the Byron Nelson and set a new tournament scoring record in relation to par in the process, shooting 65-65-67-66 to finish at 25-under, three shots better than Sam Burns.

And a year ago, the two-time Japan Golf Tour winner was somehow even better. After shooting 64-68-67 over the first three days, Lee fired a 9-under 63 in the final round to finish the week at 26-under, one shot better than hometown favorite Jordan Spieth to take PGA Tour victory number two.

Over the last year, Lee has recorded a few other top-five finishes, most notably a solo third at the CJ Cup, but hasn't yet gotten PGA Tour win number three. And here's where the history factor comes into play.

If Lee can somehow manage to win the Byron Nelson for a third straight year, he'd become the first player in nearly 90 years to win his first three PGA Tour titles at the same tournament. Leonard Gallet was the last to accomplish the feat, winning the Wisconsin PGA/Wisconsin Section Championship in 1929, 1933, and 1934. Don't worry if you've never heard of it.

In addition, K.H. Lee can also join the exclusive club of players to win the same PGA Tour event three years in a row. In addition to Scheffler, his toughest competition at TPC Craig Ranch this week will be Tyrrell Hatton, Jason Day, Tom Kim, Hideki Matsuyama, and Adam Scott.